Michigan State University
Rutgers, Brown, Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Spartan Gymnastics Makes History With 500th Win
1/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Complete Results
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State gymnastics traveled to Piscataway, N.J. to continue Big Ten competition against Rutgers University, along with non-conference opponents Brown University and Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The Spartans won the quad, scoring a 194.950 as a team. Rutgers was second with a 194.350, followed by a 192.875 from Brown and a 188.325 from UW Oshkosh.
"We had some really exceptional routines tonight on every event, yet we still had some mistakes that cost us a big score," said head coach Kathie Klages. "We continue to focus on hitting 24 of 24 routines, but tonight it was 21 of 24. It was fun to be part of the 500th win for the Spartan Program!"
Coming into this competition, the Spartans were ranked 21st nationally while sitting at sixth in the Big Ten. The team is tied for 13th in the nation on beam, while ranking 16th on floor.
With Saturday's three wins, the Spartans move to 5-2 on the season, 2-1 in the Big Ten. The Spartans move the all-time series record to 4-0 against both Rutgers and Brown, while marking a 1-0 record against UW Oshkosh. In the first four meets of the season, the Spartans have posted a total of 27 career highs.
Sophomore Mackenzie Smith led the way on bars for the Spartans, scoring a career-high 9.875 and winning the event for the first time as a Spartan. Junior Lisa Burt tied for a second-place finish on bars with a 9.825 while junior Nicola Deans marked a season-high 9.775 for a fifth-place finish. As a team, the Spartans won the event with a score of 48.650, increasing their season average.
Moving to beam, the Spartans were led by sophomore Elena Lagoski who tied her career-high 9.825 for a third-place finish. Sophomore Holly Ryan and Burt tied for fourth-place on the event, each scoring a 9.775. Freshman Victoria Huehn tied for seventh with a 9.725, helping the team to a 48.650 second-place finish on the event. After recovering from injury during the first three meets of the season, freshman Hailee Westney made her debut as a Spartan and scored a 9.200 on beam.
In the third rotation, the Spartans won floor with a score of 49.050. Freshman Anna Gamelo won the event for her first time as a Spartan with a career-high 9.900. Sophomore Kira Frederick and Deans tied for second with a 9.850, a season high for Deans and a career high for Frederick. Ryan tied for fourth, marking a 9.825 for the Spartans.
The Spartans moved to vault for the final rotation of the day where they were led by Deans' 9.850 and first-place finish. Burt took third, scoring a 9.800 while Gamelo followed with a 9.775 for a fourth-place finish. Ryan competed on vault for the first time during her Spartan career, setting a 9.600 benchmark. As a team, the Spartans achieved a 48.600 and a second-place finish.
Burt, the only Spartan to compete on all four events today, won the all-around competition with a score of 38.600. In the first four meets of the season, Burt has taken three all-around crowns and recorded one second-place finish among competitors.
Up next, the Spartans travel to State College, Pa. on Saturday, February 7 to compete against Penn State in what will be the fourth Big Ten matchup of the season. Michigan State returns home on Friday, February 13 to compete against in-state rival University of Michigan for the annual alumni meet. All MSU gymnastics alumni are asked to contact Nicole Curler (curlerni@ath.msu.edu) if interested in participating.
Players Mentioned
